#GBRetroDev'25

Heroes of Assembly 2

2nd International Gameboy Game Creation Contest at the University of Alicante

Game Development Competition in assembly for the Gameboy Classic (DMG-1), organized by the University of Alicante. Dive into the ultimate Gameboy Classic challenge! Show off your assembly programming skills and create the next retro gaming masterpiece!

Rules

(simplified)

For concrete details, please refer to the detailed rules at the bottom of this page. These are solely an overview for quick understanding. These are not the actual rules.

1. Develop your new game for Gameboy Classic (DMG).
2. Previously published or developed games are not allowed.
3. Your game must be written in assembly.
4. You must include the source code under a free/open source license (GPL, LGPG, MIT, or similar)
5. You may use third-party content/assets, always with license/permission, but it will not be rated.
6. Only cartridge type 3 is allowed: MBC1+RAM+BATTERY, 32Kib ROM, 8Kib External SRAM.
7. Your game must be suitable for all audiences.

  Awards 

Games will be recognized with the following awards, acknowledging the best achievements in different aspects of game development. 

🏆 Best Overall Games

Place	SPONSORED BY
1st (100€) 2nd ( 50€)

🎓 Best Games by UA Students

Place	SPONSORED BY
1st ( 50€)

🏅 Special Category Awards

Invited Expert

Marc Robledo

Desarrollador fullstack y aficionado a los videojuegos desde pequeño.

"Combinando dos de mis pasiones, el desarrollo de software y la Game Boy, me adentré en el mundo de la ingeniería inversa de la consola, lo que me ha permitido trabajar en proyectos como modificaciones, traducciones y remasterizaciones de juegos clásicos, permitiendo dar una segunda vida a títulos olvidados y aportando mi granito de arena a la preservación del videojuego."

Full-stack developer and video game enthusiast since childhood.

'Combining two of my passions, software development and the Game Boy console, I entered the world of reverse engineering, which has allowed me to work on projects such as modifications, translations and remastering of classic games, giving forgotten titles a second life and doing my bit to video games perservation.'

Talks

Dándole color a la Game Boy, por Marc Robledo

"En esta charla veremos las diferencias técnicas entre Game Boy y Game Boy Color y nos adentraremos en el mundo de la ingeniería inversa y de las modificaciones de juegos clásicos, convirtiendo un juego monocromo de Game Boy a uno a todo color para Game Boy Color."

Adding colour to the Game Boy, by Marc Robledo

‘In this talk, we will look at the technical differences between Game Boy and Game Boy Colour and delve into the world of reverse engineering and classic game modifications, turning a monochrome Game Boy game into a full-colour Game Boy Colour game.’

Talk date and link to be anounced

Jury

How to submit your game

1. Join #GBRetroDev'25 itchio's jam  (JOIN BUTTON at the top)
2. Create your projects's webpage
3. Submit your project                                 (SUBMIT BUTTON at the top)

How to create your project webpage

Create a project webpage containing at least:

• Game title.
• 4 screenshots.
• Game trailer: up-to-40 seconds.
• Attached GB file.
• Attached ZIP file with source code (open sourced, MIT/GPL free licenses recommended).
• These sections:
  • Description: description of your game.
  • How to play: instructions, controls and anything required to play
  • Authors and licenses: authors' names, contact information, third party contents and license, links and references to originals.

You may optionally include any other goodies. We recommend,

• User manual.
• Making-of: description on how the game was created, technologies used, problems and solutions found, learned lessons, pictures and screenshots of the development, etc.
• More videos (gameplays, promotional, etc).
• Any other goodies, images, videos, sections or contents the developers want to add.

Take into account

• The contest is international: english will be used as common language.
  • You may submit projects in any language, but we recommend an english version.
• All your content should respect itchio's community and GBRetroDev's rules.
• Your project should be freely available during contest. Itchio's options:
  • Pricing: No payments
  • Visibility & access: Public
  • Kind of project: Downloadable
• Decorate your page as much as you want. Check the "Past Editions" part.

⚠️Don't ever modify / delete your page after submission deadline

> Any changes to your submission (game page / attachments) during evaluation period may result in disqualification.
> These includes distributing new versions outside itchio or modifying external linked stuff.

On submission you will be asked to specify game page, game name, group name and a contact email.

Rules

Submission Conditions

1. Submitting a game implies acceptance of the contest rules.
2. Games can be created individually or in teams.
3. Games can be of any theme that complies with the rules.
4. Games must be suitable for all audiences.
5. Games must be entirely developed in assembly language.
6. The source code must be submitted under an open-source license to allow distribution. 
7. The last modification made before the submission deadline will be accepted. 
   • Any modifications made after the submission deadline will result in disqualification. 
8. Games must run on an Original Gameboy Classic (DMG-001) using an Everdrive X7 or EZ-Flash adapter cartridge. 
9. Games must run on at least one of these two emulators: 
   • BGB 1.6.4 (2024/08/31)
   • Emulicious (2024/08/31)
10. Only type 3 cartridges are allowed: Mapper MBC1+RAM+BATTERY, with 32KiB ROM, 8KiB external SRAM, and a battery for saving games. 
    •  Games that use more than 32KiB of ROM, more than 8KiB of external RAM, or other cartridges/mappers will be disqualified.
11. Games CANNOT be published before the submission window opens.
    • A game will be considered previously published if: 
      1.  A playable version has been publicly available. 
      2. It has been presented at any event.
      3. A complete analysis, walkthrough, or gameplay video or audio has been publicly available.
      4. Any organizer, jury member, or guest has had prior access.
12. From the opening of the submission period.
    • The game can be published on the official submission channel (itch.io). This includes the game, screenshots, images, gameplay videos, previews, analysis, or any related material.
13. Games that cannot be legally included in a subsequent physical production or that raise legal concerns will be disqualified.
    • This includes remakes, tributes, or partial replicas of existing games without a license or permission.
14. The game and all its contents must be new creations by the authors.
    • Exceptionally, third-party content is allowed under these conditions:
      1. It is mandatory to provide an explicit license or permission allowing public distribution and commercialization.
      2. This content will be EXCLUDED from all evaluations.
      3. “Versioned” content falls under this rule.
         1. Content is considered versioned if it replicates or copies existing material created by the authors and would require permission/license.

 Judging and Evaluation

1. The jury will consist of a panel of experts plus a special invited guest.
2. The jury will be announced on the itch.io website.
3. Each expert will evaluate a specific aspect of the games.
4. Each expert and the special guest will select their top 15 games, ranked from best to worst.
5. The following evaluation criteria will be used:

   Gameplay and Fun

   Games that are most engaging and keep players entertained for longer periods.

   Technical Development

   Use of advanced or innovative programming techniques. Graphic effects, scrolling, raster effects, palette effects, etc., will be valued.

   Music and Sound Effects

   Higher quantity and quality of music and sound effects, with greater expressive richness.

   Graphic and Artistic Quality

   Best aesthetics, most harmonious and admirable. It will be valued if it creates atmosphere, ambiance, or specific emotions that match the game's theme.

6. The special invited guest will select the top 15 overall games based on their own criteria.
7. Points will be awarded as follows for each ranking:

   🥇 1st → 36p	6th → 19p	11th → 9p
   🥈 2nd → 29p	7th → 17p	12th → 7p
   🥉 3rd → 24p	8th → 15p	13th → 5p
   4th → 23p	9th → 13p	14th → 3p
   5th → 21p	10th → 11p	15th → 1p

8. The games with the highest total points will be the winners.

   Best overall games

   Games with the highest total points.

   Best UA Students game

   Games with the highest total points from teams composed exclusively of University of Alicante students.

   Specific Awards

   Games ranked first in each specific aspect.

9. In the event of a tie, the winner will be the game...
   1. ...with the most points awarded by the special invited guest.
   2. ...with the most points in Gameplay and Fun.
   3. ...that was submitted first (based on the date and time of the last modification).
10. If more than 35 games participate, the top 35 will be selected in a preliminary semifinal. The remaining games will be tied in 36th place.
11. The jury reserves the right to interpret these rules.
12. External collaborators may grant additional awards according to their own regulations, provided they are previously approved by the organizing committee. These awards and their rules will be announced as they are approved on the contest website.

Organizers 

Collaborators

Past editions

Last year we held our very first edition, the GBRetroDev 2024. Check and play the submissions to get some inspo!

Game page example

If you need ideas for presenting your project and what items you need for the submission, take a look at Cosmic Muncher's page.

Page	Video	Screenshots
Game title	Attached files	User Manual

Contact & Social

gbretrodev@gmail.com  gbretrodev